I only have a few moments as the evolved dinosaurs (birds) have overwhelmed my travel log, to record some thoughts before I get back out there.

My boat excursions yesterday, captained separately by Rebecca and later Peter (out of the Blue Springs State Park), local natives well-educated in the local fauna and flora along the St. Johns River, served me well. Also, pre-boat interviews of Barbara gave me insights into the almost ancestral remembrances of Pinky reports from the bygone days of the 1970s.

I saw and counted 53 manatees, mostly in one herd, but with several incidents of them swimming, feeding, and diving along the river. I saw nose displays and tail flips, plus great views of the entire bodies underwater.

There is no way that a manatee could be confused with a bipedal dinosaur.

I recorded sightings of 24 distinct species of birds, plus two species of snakes, two of turtles, one type of crocodilian (of course), and only one land mammal (not counting humans).

I’ll talk more about this tomorrow.